Cupola suspended in the sky,

dome between the line that divides

Sengalang and the masses

responding to the roar of copper bells,

the prattling clangor of Ketupang’s mouth.

Tomorrow a river baptism—

male seeds arrive at 12 full moons.

Names of praise, names of bravery:

Inik Andan Rabong Menua,

Inik Indi Rabong Ari,

name as incantation.

Sorrow, rage still tears at the breast,

the forbidden love of Sera Gunting,

the maiden Endu Chempaka Tempurung Alang.

Don’t repeat it.

It is said,

Dini alai nuan Seramugah,

nya orang ke ngempu tanah,

ngelala iya ke jaik iya ke manah, ke betuai alai buma.

Dini nuan Seragindi,

nya orang ke ngemata ke lubang ai, dalam enda anchik-anchik,

iya ke nyengala perebeni mayuh nanga

Before half your body

grazes the Menua river’s untouched waters, listen—

Oh, Hansi, young man standing tall.

Bujang, warrior’s son, unafraid of death.

Yen, seasoned hunter, independent, wise.

Sisok, refined youth who imbibes noble character.

Wat, strong man possessed by artistic spirit.

Aspa, impenetrable woman who yearns for poetry like a distant lover.

Kulleh, child adrift in dreams.

We offer genselan.

Let our crowns be anointed with

sacred dew.

The moon is heavy with our promises.

Oh earth,

bless their bejalai.

Oh world,

give them a place to explore.

Oh water,

let them be carried to secret corners, summoned

among the chosen few.

Legacy of Gerasi Nading

Bujang Berani Kempang.

Idle youth embracing dreams

from Rejang to meet in Batu Kitang,

bloodlines from Buluh Antu to Skrang,

the wilderness of Nyeliak to the calm tides of Lundu.

Seven gods of tansang kenyalang,

Seven kin of the god Sengalang,

Ketupong, Beragai, Pangkas,

Embuas, Kelabu Papau, Burung Malam, and Bejampung,

wandering from here to there—

Bumbok, the island of Penang,

then to Holland,

across the Andaman,

the Baltic Sea to Amsterdam.

Bejalai tale from the sky vault,

witness the bathing ritual at Menua river.

Ibun resounds,

watched over.

• Tags: Kulleh Grasi, Malaysia, Poetry